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Thursday, 17 March 2011

Tis Grand!

Ah St. Paddy’s Day and ‘tis a fine day in Montréal. A touch of spring in the air and the luck o’ the Irish is with us.

Some Facts

Irish immigrants began arriving in large numbers during the 1840’s potato famine in Ireland. Arriving at Grosse Isle, Québec, assuming the passengers survived the voyage and cholera, they settled in areas such as Griffintown and Pointe Saint Charles (Montréal), making Québec their new home.

Census

According to the 2006 Census of Canada, the Irish make up 5.5% of the Quebec population at 406,085 with almost 200,000 living in Montreal.

Parade

One of the longest-running Saint Patrick's Day parades in the world occurs each year in Montreal. The parades have been held since 1824 and St. Patrick's Day itself has been celebrated in Montreal as far back as 1759.

Some Fun!

Now that we have some facts down, I can tell you what happens here to celebrate our Irish population.

First thing we notice is a green line painted down the middle of Saint-Catherine Street in downtown Montréal in preparation for the parade.

Saint Patrick's Day Parade 2011

Sunday, March 20, 2011

12 Noon at Fort and Ste-Catherine Streets

The streets will be lined with people wearing their green, and you’ll see little bunches of shamrocks pinned to coats and scattered on the pavement. The Irish pubs are serving Guinness, Irish stew, and you’ll have a wide choice of both traditional and popular Irish tunes.

Tis grand it is!

I should mention that it’s not unknown for us to have rain or snow on parade day. BUT….the prediction is cold but sunny for this year. So, bundle up and join the fun.